10 Recent Movies That Totally Took You By Surprise

4. Thunderbolts*

Is the MCU back? Well, it might just be, and that's thanks to Jake Schreier's Thunderbolts*.

However, with Marvel's recent track record in mind, there were no guarantees that Thunderbolts* would be a hit, as audiences had grown tired of the same rinse-and-repeat formula that their projects were implementing. 

The financial success and positive mass consensus surrounding the film shouldn't come as a surprise, considering the sheer amount of talent involved in the project, both on and off-screen, with a cast consisting of MCU mainstays, newcomers, and all-around Hollywood heavy hitters. 

But perhaps what will surprise people is just how different Thunderbolts* is compared to its predecessors, and, more importantly, the mature themes that the film explores and examines, such as mental health. 

With that said, it must be commended for how that topic is handled within the movie, as several characters (Bill Pullman's Bob and Florence Pugh's Yelena predominantly) are all dealing with their respective issues and subsequent identity crises, and their self-perceived imperfections are celebrated as opposed to being condemned.

Albeit made up of malefactors and misfits, there's something magnetic about the Thunderbolts team, as they're bound by their shared melancholy and misdeeds. And although the film packs a heavy punch, it's also genuinely hilarious, as well as boasting some truly terrific action sequences and set-pieces.

More of this, please, Kevin Feige; it's nice to have an MCU film for us grown-ups for once!